Sunday, January 31, 2016

Charlotte Tilbury Haul


Charlotte Tilbury Haul

When I was in the UK, this happened.

I am partial to some Charlotte Tilbury.  Of all the things I own (and let's face it, I own most things) there are only a couple of things I have been disappointed with.  I took the opportunity of having the counter right in front of me in Selfridges (in both London and Birmingham) to stock up on a few more bits.

Charlotte Tilbury Haul

Charlotte Tilbury Haul

First up I bought two more of the Eyes to Mesmerize cream eyeshadow pots in Bette and Mona Lisa.  I already own Marie Antoinette and I have been really impressed with the texture and lasting power.  Cream eyeshadows are so hit and miss but this is a formula that lasts on me.  My preferred application method is to dab on with my finger then use a MAC blending brush (217 is perfect) to blend out.

I have also been looking for a really good red lip liner, and having loved Pillow Talk so much, Kiss N Tell seemed like a good choice.  I have been using this a lot and it gets a big thumbs up from me.

Charlotte Tilbury Haul

I also picked up one of the Eyes To Mesmerize shadow/mini liner sets in The Huntress/Amber Moon.  I love the design of the eyeshadow, it is beautifully Art Deco.  I am looking forward to trying this out.

Charlotte Tilbury Haul

Charlotte Tilbury Haul

Next I purchased something I bought and used previously and didn't like-the Colour Chameleon Colour Morphing Eye Pencils-you can read my initial review here.  But Bronzed Garnet is such an amazing warm reddy brown tone that it sucked me in again. 

Charlotte Tilbury Haul

The thing I wanted to try the most was the new Magic Foundation-especially as it is a fuller coverage foundation than the original Light Wonder.  I was surprised to get matched to a shade that wasn't the lightest in the range for once!  Then one of the girls in my office Yasmeen commented on my instagram and told me to pick up the complexion brush too because she thought it was amazing-so I did!  I will review this in full asap.

Charlotte Tilbury Haul

Having seen good reviews of The Retoucher concealer pen I also picked up one in the lightest shade.  Having just finished my Estee Lauder BB Brush on Glow concealer, I think this could be a good replacement.

Charlotte Tilbury Haul

The Airbrush Flawless Finishing Powder is one of my all time faves and I picked up two spares-it's one of the finest shine control powders I have tried and you can read my full thoughts here.

Charlotte Tilbury Haul
Charlotte Tilbury Haul
Charlotte Tilbury Haul
Charlotte Tilbury Haul
Charlotte Tilbury Haul

Why buy one lipstick when you can buy 5?  I really do like the Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks-both the Matte Revolution (my lipstick formula of 2015) which you can read reviews of here and here and the K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick which I reviewed here.  I literally love them all!!

Charlotte Tilbury lipstick swatches

I'd love to know if you have tried the Charlotte Tilbury line and what you love from it!
Share:

Friday, January 29, 2016

Niod Photography Fluid review


Niod Photography Fluid review

If you read my Top 15 of 15 you might have seen this product sneak in-which is pretty impressive considering it's a product I only bought on the 11th December.

I'm going to be honest-discovering this product has done wonders for my online presence.  I don't want to sound like I am being big headed but when two big beauty bloggers try it on your recommendation and link your blog into their post your views go through the roof!  So a massive thank you to Laura and Adrienne for their reviews!

I was so wowed by this filter/primer from the second I tried it that I bought more and gave them to my best friend Dani, Tasha, Laura, Laura and Lis, plus my assistant Chloe.  All of them really like it.  So many people tweeted me or snapped me or commented on instagram that after seeing Laura's blogpost and my instagram they bought it and their feedback was also great.  So yey!

Ok so although Laura and Adrienne have done a fantastic job reviewing this and basically covered all bases, here is my take on it.  I bought it from Look Fantastic after seeing it was a primer that specifically made your skin look better in photos.  That to me sounded like an instagram filter for the face and when I presented it to the Laura's and Lis on a night out in Dubai late December that was my sales pitch.

The 'fluid' comes in a glass bottle with a dropper-it's very apothecary in style but the packaging is the products only major flaw.  The fluid is just too thick to be dispensed from a dropper-I just use it to swipe the product on my face.

The fluid is pale gold in colour and is quite thick without being sticky or tacky or oily.  It doesn't feel silicone based either.  I use it as a primer after moisturiser and before foundation and it dries immediately.  On me, it definitely adds a huge amount of luminosity and it evens out my skintone-neutralising the redness I get around my nose especially.  My foundation sits so well on top of this-especially if I dab on with a damp beauty blender.

Niod Photography Fluid review

My friend Antonia describes this in the best way.  In her very own words "think Edward Cullen as he hits a ray of sunshine".

My skin has been absolutely terrible recently but this product really does make a difference.  The below two photos were taken on Xmas day, with my iphone front facing camera and have no filter on them.  I feel like it just evens over everything, its glow without shimmer and just makes you face catch the light in all the right places-especially in photographs.

Niod Photography Fluid review

I love it and I am not alone.  Thank you to everyone who told me they bought it and love it-that for me is the absolutely best part of blogging!

The Niod Photogrpahy Fluid is £20 from Look Fantastic and I bought it when it was on 3 for 2 but there's usually a discount code floating about,
Share:

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Tom Ford Cheek Color Blush in Love Lust


Tom Ford Cheek Color Blush in Love Lust

My least favourite reviews are those where I attempt to photograph me wearing the actual product.  And I am not talking lips for a Lip Six post but my actual whole moon shaped face.  30 'do I look casual enough' selfies later and I'm still not really happy with the finished photo.  And I feel a fraud if I add a bit of facetuning or a filter so here it is, lumps, bumps and all.  I'm so selling myself aren't I?

What I am reviewing though is good-even if it's something I own a ton of already.  But it's Tom Ford.  And that's a good enough reason to own it.

Tom Ford Cheek Color Blush in Love Lust is a peachy coral-something I am known for hoarding as my comparison swatches show below.  But I couldn't find an exact direct dupe (or stopped looking after pulling out 7 of my favourite peachy coral blushers).

You can see from the swatch that Love Lust is very pigmented.  It also has a slight shimmer to it, although it's not particulatly obvious on the cheek.  My initial thoughts were that is was a NARS Orgasm dupe but you can see below that the two shades are indeed quite different.

The formula is really lovely-there is no kick up of powder in the pan at all on the brush and you can be as subtle or as statemented as you like with this blush.  My only negative is that the lasting power isn't incredible and I do need to top up during the day.

The closest dupe I found was Laura Mercier Lush Nectarine which I have always loved and actually keep in my handbag because it's so dinky and easy to carry around.  The Tom Ford blushes retail at £48 (ouch just realised that) and the Laura Mercier for £20.50 and there isn't a huge difference in the formula.

Tom Ford Cheek Color Blush in Love Lust compaison swatches
Tom Ford Cheek Color Blush in Love Lust
Tom Ford Cheek Color Blush in Love Lust

Love Lust is the luxe option if you love your peachy corals.  As much as it's a great blush I can only really recommend you buy this if a) you love peachy corals b) you would wear it very often otherwise I just don't think the cost per usage is justifiable.


Share:

Monday, January 25, 2016

Lip Six


lipstick swatches

Happy Monday!  I honestly don't know where the last week went to-one minute my parents were arriving and now they have gone!  And I literally don't feel like I have stopped for air.  Luckily they're very easy guests so when I am working late (or going out for cocktails with Laura which was a fun night last Wednesday!) they are happy to just entertain themselves.  And a month ago it was Xmas!  Feels like a lifetime ago right now.

Am currently sat here typing this up Sunday evening cooking celery-yes you heard right.  The healthy eating kick is in swing.  Celery takes an age to soften-what a ridiculous vegetable.  I think that was the most boring 3 sentances that have ever graced this blog.

Lipstick....my last six lip picks as always.....

Top row (L) L'Oreal Colour Riche lipstick in Blakes Red (review here) (R) NARS lipstick in Goodbye Emmanuelle (review here-was LE but you can still get it)

Middle row (L) Clarins Rouge Prodige lipstick in Coral Pink  (R) Dior Rouge Dior Baume in Diorette (review here)

Bottom row (L) KIKO lipstick in #27 Ace of Diamond (LE but I can definitely dupe this shade from my stash-let me know if you want me to pull some out) (R) Clinique Long Last lipstick in Runway Coral

I always forget how nice Runway Coral is but it's such a great lipstick for Spring!

Which is your favourite?


Share:

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Tom Ford Lips and Boys-The return


Tom Ford Lips and Boys

Tom Ford Lips and Boys

Tom Ford Lips and Boys

Tom Ford Lips and Boys

Tom Ford Lips and Boys swatches

Tom Ford Lips and Boys.  Back again and this time permanent.  When they first launched in 2014 I bought 7 and you can read reviews and swatches here and here.  Giacomo is still one of my most used lipsticks if I want a pink lip pick me up.

Now there are 25 more boys in the team and I splurged on 5 more when I was in the UK over Xmas-and I am so glad I did because I am absolutely smitten with them all.

The concept is simple-50 miniature lipsticks named after significant and influential males in Tom Fords life-I am sure there is a story behind every single one of the names and plenty of people have hazarded a guess about which lipstick belongs to which male but Tom Ford appears to be remaining tight lipped.

This time, Luciano, Drake, Kingston, Theo and Jake made the cut.  I had a couple more on my wishlist but the swatches in real life weren't as I had hoped.  These 5 though are all stunners-and I am pleased I got my hands on the much coverted Drake (enabled by Tasha) even if it does slightly remind me of a colour my nan used to wear from Avon called Amethyst Shimmer.  I'm totally down with that.

All the colours are luminous and have a satin finish.  They don't move around the lips but I do pair them with a liner for additional staying power.  I'm a big fan of Tom Ford lipsticks and if I could only ever wear one brand for the rest of my life on my lips I have decided TF is it.

There are swatches of the entire new additions beautifully shot on Michelle's blog and on Linda's blog.

Did you pick up any of the Lips and Boys?
Share:

Friday, January 22, 2016

Make Up Geek eyeshadows: Shimma Shimma, Steampunk, Havoc and Creme Brulee

Make Up Geek eyeshadows review

Make Up Geek eyeshadows review

This is not the first time I have written a post about Make Up Geek but my original one is still in drafts, never quite making the cut.  Not because the product wasn't good but because I didn't like my photos and I was reviewing too many eyeshadows at once and you know, #bloggerproblems.

My first Make Up Geek order was for a bunch of the foiled shadows and I was really impressed.  The pigment and lasting power are great, my only bugbear was that the shadows were quite crumbly and chipped easily.  I also didn't buy shades that you would call 'everyday wear/suitable for the office' so I have found they sit in their Z palette and don't get much attention.

Maybe one day that post will get published but for now I bring you my 4 new additions to the family-Shimma Shimma, Steampunk, Havoc and Creme Brulee.  And these shadows are getting a lot of my attention.

So there is a backstory to this selection of shades-I was bitching one night to Tasha from The Cosmetic Aesthetic because I had placed a big order with Beauty Bay and they wouldn't deliver to my UK freight forwarding address.  This make up junkie was not a happy bunny because I just needed all the Make Up Geek ok?  And that desire was fuelled by Laura who is a bad bad person, especially when you're on a pre-Xmas no buy.

And then on Xmas day, amongst all the other beautifully wrapped gifts from Tasha were these four shadows-all ones I had tried and failed to order.  And I could not be happier with her/my choices!
Make Up Geek eyeshadows review

Make Up Geek eyeshadows review

Shimma Shimma is a shade everyone needs in their life.  I am sure I must have 64 others like it (and looking at the Temptalia comparisons I do own a fair few) but it's the sort of shade I always hit pan on.  I find shimmery champagne shades so versatile-for inner corners, brow bone, and if I am feeling especially sleepy-all over the lid.  I think Shimma Shimma is brightening without being stark and is easy to work with.  Tempted to order a back up right now.

Creme Brulee is perfect for pale girls like me as a transition shade in the crease.  I now have a massive appreciation for matte shades-it took me 35 years to get out of my 'shimmer only addiction' but hey, better late than never.  I am the girl who didn't eat a prawn til I was 29 and didn't try cauliflower cheese until I was 32.   Creme Brulee is soft, blendable and I tend to whack it in the crease first and then blend another shadow on my lid and outer corner into Creme Brulee.   It's pretty foolproof.  Sometimes I feel it's a little orange on me but once I have the rest of my eyeshadow on I realise it is pretty perfect and gives the overall eye that soft-focused and blended out look.

Now it really starts getting interesting.

Havoc is amazing.  It's kind of MAC Club-esque but waaaay easier to work with.  I find Club can be pretty dry and chalky and not the easiest to blend but Havoc knocks it out the park.  It has a stronger green and less red undertone than Club and it is stunning.  These are the kind of shades I love-and when the texture is also spot on I am completely sold.  I've used it all over the lid and as a crease colour-it looks amazing on the outside of Steampunk even though they are both dark shades.  I feel kind of like a grown up mermaid when I wear it.

Just when I think it can't get better, there is Steampunk.  A dark brown base with a reddy, almost plummy undertone to it, it is so beautiful.  Since I started using the MAC Burgundy x 9 I have been so into these warmer toned, satin finish shades.  Steampunk is not quite duochrome but it is rich and smooth and opulent.  However, I exercise caution when using this shade-it has a fair amount of fall out compared to the others and if you try to clean it away from under your eyes with a fluffy brush it smears black everywhere.  If you're using this shade, use shadow shields or do your eye make up first and then the rest of your face once you have cleaned up the fallout.  Apart from that, it's an amazing shade.

Make Up Geek eyeshadows review

At a price point of £4.95 these excel, hence why I have just received another big order-texture/pigment/lasting power, all massive ticks.  I just wish Beauty Bay would ship to the UAE-it would make life a whole lot easier!

Two more things I want to mention in this post-the blog I am reading on my iPad in the first picture is my friend Antonia's rebranded blog Allure La Vie, which you definitely need to go and follow.  Everyone needs an Antonia in their life-she is sassy and beautiful and funny and just gets life.  She is also the hardest working person I know.  I have been loving her re-brand and she has been writing some cracking posts-I loved The Biggest Battle-Your Inner Critic last week, but you can expect beauty, food and lifestyle posts on her blog.

The second thing is much more fickle-and it's the mascara I am wearing in the last photo.  It's Dior Iconic Overcurl mascara and I really love it.  It is quite a dry formula but the curved brush makes it easy to grab on to every lash.  It's really black, it lengthens and thickens without clumping and it does actually add some curl to my lashes-something my lashes are pretty averse to.

Have you tried Make Up Geek?  Any recommendations?

Share:

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Lip Six



Happy...Tuesday!  So I know Lip Six is normally a Monday thing-but I just can't keep up at the moment!  A crazy week in Cairo was followed by a crazy weekend and then my parents rolled in at 2.30am yesterday morning.  But better late than never I say!  I am struggling to keep my eyes open as I type this post up-I need a big glass of man up juice!

Here are my last 6 lip picks:

Top row: (L)  Chanel Rouge Allure gloss in Affriolant (review here) (R) Dior Addict Extreme lipstick in Lucky

Middle row: (L) MAC Glaze lipstick in Pink Poodle (review here) (R) Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy lipstick in Defiant Coral (review here)

Bottom row (L) NARS Audacious lipstick in Greta (review here) (R) Guerlain Kiss Kiss lipstick in Baby Rose (review here)

Which is your favourite? 

Have a great week!


Share:

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Top 15 of 2015


If I was a good blogger this post would have gone up maybe the last week of 2015 but my life is literally all over the place (in a good way) at the moment and so here we are, mid Jan with my favourites of last year. #So2015

But I do think it is a post worth sharing as these are my all time faves of the past 12 months and there are some amazing products right here.

So here, in no particular order are my Top 15 of 2015.


1-Sarah Chapman Overnight Exfoliating Booster // £58  // Space NK

This was a product that made an immediate difference to my skin from the first day I used it.  I have relatively hormonal skin with frequent breakouts around my jaw and chin and this light serum prevents clogged pores, eliminates dead surface cells and limits pore distortion and blemishes, resulting in smoother, more radiant skin.  It also excelled in fading old blemish scars.  My bottle is literally now on its last legs but I am eeking it out as long as possible!

I have written a full review of it here in conjunction with the Overnight Facial.

2-Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion // £16.50 // Boots

I am on my 5th bottle of this mild, alcohol free, 0.5% salicylic acid exfoliating toner.  It has a slightly thicker gel texture than other toners I have used and it is cooling and non irritating.  I have written a full post about some of the products that really helped my hormonal breakouts here.  I always have a bottle of this in my stash.

3-Kiehls Superbly Restorative Argan Dry Oil // £26.50 // Kiehls.co.uk

I haven't spoken at all about this on my blog but I use it all the time!  This is a brilliantly moisturising light oil-I slather it on my arms and legs after a bath and it absorbs almost immediately leaving you free to dress/get into bed.

It's multipurpose and can be used on your hair, nails and face-I personally use it only on my body but a little goes a long way. 


4-MAC Blemish Control Gel // £13.50 // MAC

Salicylic acid is my friend.  And this blemish gel is the best I have tried.  It can be a little stingy at times-but it's brilliant for shrinking back spots and bringing those that are past the point of no return to a head.  It does not dry the skin out or cause any nasty flakiness.

5-  Aquaphor Soothing Skin Balm // £6.75 // Boots

There are tubes of this stuff everywhere in my life.  By my bed, on my desk at work, in the car, in my handbag, on my vanity, in the bathroom....

I use this thick, emollient balm directly on my lips and it is the only thing that keeps them supple, soft and flake free.  My lips can be quite sensitive to some ingredients in lip balms but this basic balm just never ever fails me.  And trust me, I've tried them all.  Holy Grail.

6-Beauty Blender // £16 // Selfridges

2015 was the year I finally started using a Beauty Blender and they absolutely rock.  Ok so I will admit, I am still slightly squeamish about the fact they seem to be a filthy tool full of germs, but I wash mine after every use and bin them every 6 weeks.  I don't use one every day-preferring to keep them for when I am going out in the evening or want my face to look really nice-I find the Beauty Blender just helps to give my foundation that full coverage yet soft focus look and I am forever impressed when I use it.


7-Zoeva Luxe Petit Crease // £6.95 // Beauty Bay

I really love Zoeva brushes and 2015 saw me picking up quite a few along the way.  They never shed a hair and wash really well.  The Luxe Petit Crease is my favourite though-I have really hooded eyes and it allows you to apply colour precisely to the crease and control your blending out.  They are definitely comparable to my MAC brushes at a fraction of the price.

8-Sigma F82 Rounded Kabuki Brush // £15.50 // Beautychamber.co.uk

I reviewed this brush in full here in 2014 and it was my favourite foundation brush last year.  The synthetic brushes are so dense that it makes application of foundation flawless.  The bristles are super soft yet retain their shape so you don't get brush streaks through your foundation as you apply it.  I definitely need to check out some more Sigma brushes.

9-MAC Pro Longwear foundation // £25.50 // MAC

This is a heavy duty foundation-part polyfilla, part cement and it's lasting power is tremendous.  It applies well with fingers and a dense brush, and brilliantly with a damp beauty blender.  It has SPF10 which is low enough not to get flashbacks in flash photography.  It has more of gel texture than something like Estee Lauder Double Wear and feels a little more silicone-y.  I love it.  There is a full review here.


10-Niod Photography Fluid // £20 // Look Fantastic

This is a late entry but this stuff is *amazeballs*.  No idea how I came across it but as soon as I did I was hooked.  I bought bottles for Tasha, Laura, Laura, Lis and a multitude of other beauty lovers have bought it and told me they love it following Laura's blogpost.  I want to write up my own thoughts too but in the meantime enjoy Laura's review, buy it and thank us later!

11-Trish McEvoy 24hr Eyeshadow and Liner // £24 // Selfridges

Pretty sure that I wrote about these in my 'best of' post last year but these are, hands down the best cream eyeshadow sticks out there.  They destroy the likes of By Terry, Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown and Charlotte Tilbury, they're creamy and weld to the lid without going creasy or drying out.  They're amazing 'swipe and go' eyeshadows, I whack them on the lid and then use a MAC 217 fluffy brush to blend out the edges.  If I want to add something 'more' to the eyelid, I pat a pigment over the top of them for some extra pizzazz.  I own shades Glamorous, Topaz, Smoky Quartz and Smoky Emerald.  I'll keep re-buying, they're fabulous.  My full thoughts are here.

12-Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipsticks // £23 // Charlotte Tilbury

So you know me.  I like a lipstick.  Narrowing down a fave though is a difficult task.  I finally decided my favourite lipstick formula of the year was the CT Matte Revolution line even though I suspect that some die hard matte lip lovers will not rate this as a 'true' matte product.  This is luminous matte, the shades are beautiful and it has both extracts from the Lipstick Tree (still looking for one for myself) and Orchid to soothe and hydrate and give a soft cashmere finish.  It has 'glowing 3D pigments' to give a 'lit from within' look to the lips, making them appear wider and fuller.  And they really do!  I own most of the shades now but above you see Love Liberty, Amazing Grace and Lost Cherry.  This is a lipstick I would recommend to anyone.


13-By Terry Terrybly Densillis Blush in Platonic Blonde // £52 // Space NK

Absolutely the priciest blusher I have ever bought but it is so beautiful.  As you can see I have hit pan and who ever hits pan on a blush?  Especially when you own 432,933 of them.  Everything about this blusher rocks, the texture is perfect-not too soft or too hard, the colour is the perfect peachy pink with no shimmer but it really brightens.  The packaging is as luxe as the price tag suggests.

I have reviewed this in full here.

14-Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Swish and Pop blusher in First Love // £30 // Charlotte Tilbury

I had to include a second blusher because this one is just awesome.  I own a few of the CT blushers but this one is the one.  The only problem with it is that I just couldn't seem to hold onto one-the first I dropped on the floor in my office and shattered it, the second I dropped on the floor in a bar and yes, you guessed, it shattered and this is my third pan.  This is the perfect nude blush, it sculpts in all the right places and makes me feel healthy!  Everything about it is perfection although I feel I should wrap mine in bubble wrap!!  A detailed review is here.

15-MAC Burgundy x 9 // £30 // MAC

So I did have a debate internally whether to include Amber x 9 or Burgundy x 9 because they are both so good.  Amber x 9 is definitely my most used eyeshadow palette of 2015 but Burgundy x 9 is just an amazingly well put together palette and I love using it.

The palette is less purple and more red toned than you might expect but the colours are so wearable.  I was hesitant to buy Burgundy x 9 because I already own 7 of the 9 shades in the palette but I did buy it because a) I figured it was a really well put together palette b) it would be handy for travelling (my rationale for everything) c) mini dinky sizes are life and d) I am weak willed.


The palettes are small but I actually see that as a plus point given that I own so much eyeshadow and I travel so much.  You get a decent amount of product though, I am amazed I haven't hit pan on Amber x 9 because I use it so much.  The x9 series is a brilliant introduction to MAC shadows-massive thumbs up from me.


So there we have it-my top 15 of 15.  Do you rate any of these products as highly as I do?  If you'd done your own version of this I would love to read it so please link it in the comments below!

Ps-tons of people are asking me about my nail colour-it's a gel manicure and the shade is Field Fox by CND Vinylux 


Share:

Monday, January 11, 2016

Lip SIx


lipstick swatches

Happy Monday!

Good morning from Cairo where I am here until Thursday.  I've been trying to get back into a blogging routine but my work schedule has just been crazy, I've been a little bit sick and I just had things I needed to do that took priority.  So I suspect this might be my only post this week but I took a ton of photos at the weekend and this coming weekend I intend to get my blog on all day on Saturday!

Here is the first Lip Six of 2016, if you're new to my blog then every Monday I share my last six lip picks.  I'm not a make up artist (clearly), I just love lipstick and basically sit in my bedroom each morning and take a picture of whatever lipstick I am wearing!

Top row: (L) Dior Rouge Dior lipstick in 958 Sterling Red (full review here!) (R) Dior Rouge Dior lipstick in 757 Souveraine (sadly limited edition)

Middle row (L) Guerlain Kiss Kiss lipstick in Rosy Boop (full review here!) (R) Clarins Rouge Prodige lipstick in 134 Orchid Pink

Bottom row (L) Marc Jacobs Beauty Le Marc lip creme in So Rouge (R) NARS Audacious lipstick in Anna (full review here!)

Which is your favourite?

Share:

Friday, January 8, 2016

LORAC Pro Palette 1-the review


LORAC Pro Palette 1 review
LORAC Pro Palette 1 review
LORAC Pro Palette 1 review
LORAC Pro Palette 1 review
LORAC Pro Palette 1 review
LORAC Pro Palette 1 review
LORAC Pro Palette 1 review

Happy New Year!!  Ok so I am a bit late to the party but I am loving 2016 so far.  I took a blogging break over Xmas and New Year and then I have been full throttle at work all week ahead of my first trip to Cairo on Sunday.

I really want to do a '2015 faves' and a 'blogs I have loved in 2015' post but I just need you to bear with me whilst I get back into a work/life/blog balance.

In the meantime I thought I would talk about an eyeshadow palette, I have owned for like ever-the LORAC Pro 1.  I'd heard such great things about this palette that I was actually scared to try it in case I was disappointed.  So in a stack of neutral palettes how does this one compare to all the others I own?

Pretty damn good-for half of it.  When I swatched it I was shocked how smooth and pigmented the shades were-they just all felt like velvet.  I am a shimmer girl at heart so the swatches of the bottom row did things to me #SparksJoy.  But actually, I am not that impressed.  The pigmentation doesn't quite translate on the eye, the lasting power isn't amazing even over a primer and there is a fair bit of fall out.  But I have recently got a real appreciation for matte shades, especially for using in the crease and these mattes are exceptional-I love the texture and blendability-the pigmentation rocks and they last all day.  When you dip your brush into the pan there is definitely kick up of powder across the whole palette as the shades are so soft.  On the eye however, only the shimmer shades really fall out.

Fave shades?  Combining mauve + taupe in the crease, and also taupe and cream.  I love pewter and garnet-I just wish both packed that little bit more pigment.  I have found myself using the matte row every day at the moment-as a matte shader 'hater' this is a big shock to me but I am quite besotted.  There are definitely better shimmery shades out there in palettes-standouts for me would be Urban Decay 1/2, MAC Veluxe Pearl shadows, the Zoeva palettes are amazing and the shimmer shades from NARS far outperform their matte offerings.  But I don't think I have come across any matte shadows I prefer over these ones from LORAC.

LORAC Pro Palette 1 review

Now I just need to crack out my Pro Palette 2 I have stashed away to see how it compares!

I bought this palette in the States-it's not widely available in the UK or Dubai but it can be sourced.

I'd love to know your one 'can't live without/desert island' palette-just to ensure I own it of course!

Share:
© Expat Make Up Addict | All rights reserved.
Blog Design Handcrafted by pipdig